The Long Journey

The Long Journey - Rahee Kil (Landell, 6th Grade)

“Fu Bao! You sleepy head. Let's play!” my sister, Mei Li said. 

“Ok, I’m coming.” I mumbled. We set out for the edge of the forest, where we usually played. We started play-fighting when I accidentally rolled over to where some humans were talking. 

I couldn’t hear exactly what they were saying but I heard bits. “... loan agreement… signed… arrangements are made… the Giant pandas… will be shipped… Korea… for ten years” loan agreement? giant pandas? shipped to Korea? Ten years? That did not sound good.

I might have misheard.  I thought, trying to convince myself. 

The next day, I woke up in a weird place. I opened my eyes and around me was a small pile of bamboo and human stuff.

I recognised this place. It was what humans called a “truck”.

 I saw my sister, Mei Li, dozing nearby. I gently shook her awake. “Where are we?” she mumbled. 

“I don’t know,” I responded. “It is some sort of human thing."

“What!” Mei Li was instantly awake. “Who put us here? Where are we going? When did we get here? Why are we here?” she demanded.

“I don’t know,” I repeated. “But I do know…” I told her what I overheard from the humans.

“Ok, so, we are currently going to a place called Korea for ten years because of a loan agreement, whatever that is.”

“Yes, I think so.” 

“What will we do?!”

“Well, I think humans aren't trying to harm us…We have to wait and see what they will do.” I said.

She agreed. We snacked on some bamboo and waited for the ride to come to an end. 

Many hours later, it did. The door of the truck opened with a “Creek!”

The humans came in and placed us in a huge metal cage with more bamboo. It was not as comfortable as the forest, but it wasn’t bad. 

Next, we rode another truck to some sort of flying human thing that I believe is called a “Plane”. Me and Mei Li’s cages were placed inside of it. 

I have to admit, it was a pretty cool experience. We got put in huge glass and metal cages that had a view of the outside. We even had loads of bamboo to eat all day. 

Several hours later, we came to our destination, our home for the next ten years, we arrived in Korea. 

Eight hours, three truck trips and many humans later, we arrived at a panda sanctuary. 

There were hundreds of pandas and humans there. Some humans took my cage to an old-looking man named Song Young-gwan who brought me to a cage at the far back of the sanctuary.

There, he helped me get comfortable and gave me food.

Life there wasn’t bad at all. I had food and shelter everyday. I even got to play with Mei Li sometimes.

Although my life in Korea is enjoyable, I miss my forest back in China. I can’t wait to go back in ten years.